Plans to upgrade the Waainek Water Treatment Works (WTW), situated on the western side of Grahamstown, are to commence soon following a financial injection received by the Makana Municipality. The upgrades consist of various projects, and will greatly improve the plants’ capacity to provide potable water to meet Grahamstown’s growing water demands.
Makana has appointed Bosch Projects as the consulting engineers, and Terratest to secure the necessary Environmental Authorisation under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) where necessary. Two of the steps involved in the upgrades will run through Critical Biodiversity Areas within Grahamstown and thus require NEMA authorisation. These are:
- Installation of a new Rising Main spanning approximately 4.8 km between Settlers and Howiesonspoort Dams.
- Inspection and repair of cathodic protection (CP) measures already in place on a number of drainage pipes between the dams and Waainek WTW. Cathodic protection measures protect pipes from rust and corrosion by covering them with a “sacrificial metal” that corrodes more easily, protecting the inner pipes from water damage.
The upgrades include a number of other smaller projects at or near the WTW:
- Installation of a small appliance generator.
- Refurbishment of the admin office, lab and restroom.
- Refurbishment of the sand filters.
- Provision of adequate lighting where needed.
- Installation of a new WTW control panel.
- Refurbishment of the raw water pump generator system.
- Upgrading the water chlorination system.
- Automation of the valve at the water clarifiers.
- Installation of a standby pump and pipework at the town filters.
- Establishing of a system to recover water from sludge ponds.
- Refurbishment/repair of the external Leidam, including installation of a new roof.
- Trimming and upkeep of vegetation along the pipeline to make maintenance easier.
- Conducting dam safety inspections at Settlers Dam and Howiesonspoort Dam.
Terratest will also develop a “Maintenance Management Plan” for Makana, the intention being to circulate this plan for review and comment.
Have your say!
To register as an interested or affected person (IAP), contact Cherize Mattheus c/o Terratest, Box 27308, Greenacres Port Elizabeth 6057. Phone 041 390 8730 or email: mattheusc@terratest.co.za
Decolonise: get rid of plastic!
Grand statues commemorating long-dead colonial heroes are, in my opinion, not nearly as offensive or damaging as the scourge of plastic that has hit the African continent. This is one of the most far-reaching of all colonial icons, yet there is not a whimper of protest against it. Double standards?
Okay, so this statement may be offending a whole lot of people on both sides of the debate. Great, now I’ve got your attention!
So good people, how about it? #Plasticfree is trending, and with good reason. The use of plastic items isn’t the healthiest way to contain foodstuffs, it clogs and litters streams and veld, chokes and kills animals – even in the oceans! – and looks plain ugly.
This outpouring of plastic products can change if you and I simply decided to say NO, starting with the supermarket checkout counter: “No thanks, I have my own cloth bag for my shopping.”
And our shopping choices: avoiding products that are packaged in polystyrene and layers of useless plastic. For crying out loud!
And supporting businesses that welcome our re-usable containers.
If you really cannot avoid buying plastic products, then at least separate them for recycling.
More info: www.ru.ac.za/environment/resources/waste/recycle/plastic
Find us Online: www.grocotts.co.za/environews
Contacts for Makana Enviro-News:
Nikki Köhly: n.kohly@ru.ac.za, 046 603 7205 | Tim Bull: timothybull05@aol.com, 076 289 5122 | Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5822 | Nick James: nickjames@intekom.co.za, 082 575 9781 | Philip Machanick: p.machanick@ru.ac.za, 046 603 8635.
